Baker training session 38 - trailering!
On Tuesday I had to take Baker in to the vet (don't worry, nothing bad happened 😃). He needed to get his last rabies booster shot in a series of booster shots. With all the other shots he's received, I've had to have the vet out for something else anyway, so we just combined the trip. However, this time, I didn't need anything else done, and it seemed silly to have the vet come all the way out to my farm, and for me to have to pay an extra $30 or so for the trip fee, just for one little shot. Every Tuesday, when I'm on my way to my lesson with Butch, I pass right by my vet's office, so, I thought, why not just combine the trip? It would be another good opportunity for Baker to get on the trailer, and it would save me a little money and time too! Now, you might remember that Baker has already been on the trailer, several times. The first time was when he was colicking, and that trailering experience definitely did not go the way I would have planned for his first trailer outing. At the time, the most important thing was getting him on the trailer so that we could get him to the vet and treated ASAP. We were not concerned about giving him a positive trailering experience, so three of us basically just shoved him on. When he was ready to come home, and again when I had to take him back to the vet for a recheck, we were in less of a hurry. I did allow him to take his time, but I did not use some of the steps I normally would have taken to make it as positive of an experience as possible. However, this little trip to the vet on Tuesday gave me that opportunity.
To start off, I typically trailer horses with shipping boots and tail wraps. The shipping boots are basically a cushioned boot that covers the entire lower leg.
It helps to protect a horse from any bumps or scratches that they might get if we were to get into an accident, or even just being a little jostled about in the trailer. A tail wrap goes over the top part of the horse's tail.
Some horses will rest their hind ends on the back of the trailer to help keep their balance. When they do this, they end up rubbing the top of their tail hairs, which leads to breakage and a frizzy looking tail. Most horse people are very vain about their horse's tails, myself included! So, I like to protect them anytime we travel. All that being said, I do NOT use shipping boots and tail wraps on horses that are green to trailering. The trailering experience itself is scary enough. Add boots and tail wraps to that, and some horses would just be too overwhelmed. I will typically ship a horse several times without any protection, until they get comfortable with the trailer itself. Once that part is easy, then I add the shipping boots, and eventually the tail wrap.
The trailer that I took on Tuesday was my 2 horse straight load bumper pull trailer.
Whenever I am loading a horse for the first time on this trailer (or one like it), or a horse that is still nervous about trailering, I will open up the divider as wide as possible to make the space look as roomy as possible. One of the things that scares a horse about getting on a trailer is the confined space. Remember, horses are flight animals, so they get very concerned about their ability to escape small spaces. The other thing that is scary to a horse is the different way the trailer ramp and/or floor sounds and feels when they step on it. This also goes back to their flight response - if something doesn't feel right to their feet, then it might trap them or keep them from running away.
Once I had the trailer opened up, I led Baker in a marching walk right up to the ramp, with my body language telling him that we were fully intending to walk right up the ramp and into the trailer. As almost always happens with young, inexperienced horses, Baker stopped a few feet before we got to the ramp. I immediately kept pressure on his halter (which exerts pressure on his poll - remember our leading lessons?). If he took a step forward, then I immediately released pressure. If he took a step back, or after a few seconds of not moving forward, I would resume pressure on his halter. We repeated this process for several minutes, but we did not really make any forward progress. So, I got a long whip, which I used to tap him on the behind while I kept pressure on his poll. If he stepped forward, then I would release pressure and stop tapping with the whip. If he stepped backward or stood still too long, then pressure and tapping would resume. Again, just like his earlier lessons in leading. Also, ideally, I would have had someone there to help me out, but that isn't always possible, and it is feasible to get the horse on the trailer if you are by yourself. Again, we tried this method for several minutes, but did not really make any progress. So, the next step is to get a feed pan and put a small amount of the yummiest grain in it. I let him have a tiny mouthful just so he knew what he was working for. After that, he would have to move forward before he would get a reward. I put the feed pan in the trailer, just out of his reach (unless he stepped onto the trailer ramp). Then I resumed pressure on the poll and tapping with the whip. After just a few tries, Baker hesitatingly put one foot on the ramp. So, he got an immediate lessening of the pressure and tapping, and a bite of grain. Then I moved the grain out of reach again, and resumed the pressure and tapping. He quickly put both feet on the ramp and got closer to the entrance of the trailer. So, I stopped the pressure and tapping and he got another bite of grain. Then I moved the grain out of reach again, this time it was in the body of the trailer. Baker is very food motivated, and once he had tasted the grain, he totally forgot that the trailer might be a scary place. He walked right on to the trailer and got all the way in. I immediately released all pressure and put the butt bar up in the back and closed the trailer ramp. One of the most important things about trailering is to ALWAYS close up the back of the trailer BEFORE tying the horse up front, and to ALWAYS untie the horse up front before opening the back of the trailer when you are unloading the horse. If a horse is tied up front, and panics, and flies backwards, and breaks the tie, and the back door is open, and they go running backwards out the trailer, you will have created a huge problem with ever loading your horse again. This problem is so easy to prevent just by following that basic rule. Anyway, once I had him closed up in the back, then I took the grain around to the front and let him have several mouthfuls as a big reward (you don't want to give them too much, because that could lead to colic, but a few handfuls is ok). Then it was just a matter of tying him up front (DO NOT tie a young horse in a trailer if they are not accustomed to being tied in general), loading Butch in the other side, and hitting the road.
I had also put a hay bag up front that Baker could reach and munch on while we traveled. Again, using his love of food to make the trip more pleasant. If I allow a horse to have hay on a road trip, I always soak it in water first. This keeps any dust down and helps to prevent any respiratory problems while trailering. It's a good idea to give a horse hay to munch on, because the digestion of hay helps to reduce stomach acid. Horses tend to produce more stomach acid when stressed (and trailering can definitely be stressful), which could lead to the development of stomach ulcers. Stomach ulcers in a horse are difficult and expensive to treat, so anything I can do to prevent them is a plus.
Baker traveled very quietly the entire time. I never heard him scrambling for his balance or pawing from impatience. He stayed on the trailer while Butch and I had our lesson, and then he was still quiet on the way home. We stopped by the vet's clinic on the way home, and Dr Swift took his temperature and gave him his rabies shot while he was on the trailer. She remarked that she didn't think she had ever seen a baby so quiet on a trailer before! Once we got home, I unloaded Butch first, that way Baker would have a little more room if he needed it. I untied him and put his lead line on, then opened up the back of the trailer. Unloading is just a matter of putting pressure on the halter in a backwards motion, and maybe adding some pressure on their chest, just like you would do when teaching them to back. Again, this all goes back to earlier lessons in leading and backing. Baker was only hesitant for a few moments, and then he carefully backed himself out of the trailer.
Tuesday's trip was definitely a successful and positive experience for Baker in the trailer. As long as I continue to keep each trailering experience positive, he should only get better and better!
To start off, I typically trailer horses with shipping boots and tail wraps. The shipping boots are basically a cushioned boot that covers the entire lower leg.
The trailer that I took on Tuesday was my 2 horse straight load bumper pull trailer.
Once I had the trailer opened up, I led Baker in a marching walk right up to the ramp, with my body language telling him that we were fully intending to walk right up the ramp and into the trailer. As almost always happens with young, inexperienced horses, Baker stopped a few feet before we got to the ramp. I immediately kept pressure on his halter (which exerts pressure on his poll - remember our leading lessons?). If he took a step forward, then I immediately released pressure. If he took a step back, or after a few seconds of not moving forward, I would resume pressure on his halter. We repeated this process for several minutes, but we did not really make any forward progress. So, I got a long whip, which I used to tap him on the behind while I kept pressure on his poll. If he stepped forward, then I would release pressure and stop tapping with the whip. If he stepped backward or stood still too long, then pressure and tapping would resume. Again, just like his earlier lessons in leading. Also, ideally, I would have had someone there to help me out, but that isn't always possible, and it is feasible to get the horse on the trailer if you are by yourself. Again, we tried this method for several minutes, but did not really make any progress. So, the next step is to get a feed pan and put a small amount of the yummiest grain in it. I let him have a tiny mouthful just so he knew what he was working for. After that, he would have to move forward before he would get a reward. I put the feed pan in the trailer, just out of his reach (unless he stepped onto the trailer ramp). Then I resumed pressure on the poll and tapping with the whip. After just a few tries, Baker hesitatingly put one foot on the ramp. So, he got an immediate lessening of the pressure and tapping, and a bite of grain. Then I moved the grain out of reach again, and resumed the pressure and tapping. He quickly put both feet on the ramp and got closer to the entrance of the trailer. So, I stopped the pressure and tapping and he got another bite of grain. Then I moved the grain out of reach again, this time it was in the body of the trailer. Baker is very food motivated, and once he had tasted the grain, he totally forgot that the trailer might be a scary place. He walked right on to the trailer and got all the way in. I immediately released all pressure and put the butt bar up in the back and closed the trailer ramp. One of the most important things about trailering is to ALWAYS close up the back of the trailer BEFORE tying the horse up front, and to ALWAYS untie the horse up front before opening the back of the trailer when you are unloading the horse. If a horse is tied up front, and panics, and flies backwards, and breaks the tie, and the back door is open, and they go running backwards out the trailer, you will have created a huge problem with ever loading your horse again. This problem is so easy to prevent just by following that basic rule. Anyway, once I had him closed up in the back, then I took the grain around to the front and let him have several mouthfuls as a big reward (you don't want to give them too much, because that could lead to colic, but a few handfuls is ok). Then it was just a matter of tying him up front (DO NOT tie a young horse in a trailer if they are not accustomed to being tied in general), loading Butch in the other side, and hitting the road.
I had also put a hay bag up front that Baker could reach and munch on while we traveled. Again, using his love of food to make the trip more pleasant. If I allow a horse to have hay on a road trip, I always soak it in water first. This keeps any dust down and helps to prevent any respiratory problems while trailering. It's a good idea to give a horse hay to munch on, because the digestion of hay helps to reduce stomach acid. Horses tend to produce more stomach acid when stressed (and trailering can definitely be stressful), which could lead to the development of stomach ulcers. Stomach ulcers in a horse are difficult and expensive to treat, so anything I can do to prevent them is a plus.
Baker traveled very quietly the entire time. I never heard him scrambling for his balance or pawing from impatience. He stayed on the trailer while Butch and I had our lesson, and then he was still quiet on the way home. We stopped by the vet's clinic on the way home, and Dr Swift took his temperature and gave him his rabies shot while he was on the trailer. She remarked that she didn't think she had ever seen a baby so quiet on a trailer before! Once we got home, I unloaded Butch first, that way Baker would have a little more room if he needed it. I untied him and put his lead line on, then opened up the back of the trailer. Unloading is just a matter of putting pressure on the halter in a backwards motion, and maybe adding some pressure on their chest, just like you would do when teaching them to back. Again, this all goes back to earlier lessons in leading and backing. Baker was only hesitant for a few moments, and then he carefully backed himself out of the trailer.
Tuesday's trip was definitely a successful and positive experience for Baker in the trailer. As long as I continue to keep each trailering experience positive, he should only get better and better!
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